Top 10: Worst Ways To Make Money

With the economy a sputtering wreck that may have even further to fall than it already has, it's understandable that a lot of guys are looking for ways to make quick cash on the side. The problem is that almost every idea aside from "get another job that pays actual money" is fraught with risk and sleaziness.

When they're not promising unrealistic fitness accomplishments, late-night infomercials are full of secretive (but guaranteed!) moneymaking ideas; and when spam e-mails take a break from promoting misspelled male enhancement products, it's only to let you know about some foolproof way to earn mad cash from the comfort of your own home. And then there are the ordinary everyday rumors -- you know the one about some coworker who has a cousin who totally makes 10 grand a week playing the market.

Some of this stuff is actually legitimate, but it comes bundled with an unnecessary and uncomfortable amount of risk; others are real opportunities that just happen to make almost no money at all. Some, finally, are flat-out scams founded on the knowledge that a bad economy produces desperate people, and desperate people make pretty good marks.

Just so we make sure you don't become one of the targeted desperate, we've compiled a list of the top 10 worst ways to make money so you can avoid them at all costs (pun fully intended).